July 2nd
by beanie0700
Summary: It's Daisy's first birthday since Coulson's death and she's constantly reminded that he's gone. Celebrating without him just seems wrong. Buried in grief, May tries to remind her what birthdays are all about. (Takes place between 5x22 & 6x1) (One-shot)


**Hi there! Here's my latest May and Daisy mother/daughter relationship fic! Clearly this fic is over a month late, but I've been wanting to write a Daisy birthday story for forever because my birthday is July 2nd as well. The story takes place in between seasons 5 and 6, after Coulson dies, but before Daisy goes into space. Thank you so much for your continued support in my stories. Hope you enjoy!**

She tried to pretend that the quiet knock on the door had woken her. In reality, she'd been awake for hours—trying to put off the day ahead of her. It was her birthday. A day that she'd normally look forward to, or at the very least not dread. But this year was different. It was her first birthday since he'd been gone. Coulson had always made a point to do something for her. He would get her a small gift, or have the whole team pitch in to make her dinner, or take her out to a movie. He had done something for her every year since she had met him. Even before she knew when her actual birthday was. It was always a celebration. But now, today just felt like a constant reminder that he was gone.

"Hey," May said as she slowly cracked open the door, "Happy Birthday." The smile she gave in return wasn't completely fake. She was expecting Simmons or maybe Mack, but not May. Usually on her birthday, May would wait to greet her until later in the day. She knew that everyone else would visit her first thing, so she didn't want to overcrowd. She liked to give her space. Daisy had expected her to follow the same routine this year, but the tray of food May carefully guided through the door said otherwise.

"I brought you some breakfast. It's from Piper, actually. But she was called in for a briefing, so I offered to bring it to you. Plus I figured it was the perfect opportunity to give you this," she said, directing to a box and card she had tucked under the tray of food. She slid the gift out from her arms and placed them on Daisy's lap after skillfully setting the tray down on the corner of the bed.

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"No, I didn't. I just wanted to."

"Well, thank you," she smiled in response.

"You haven't even opened it yet. You could hate it." Daisy chuckled in acknowledgment. She picked up the card first, seeing 'Daisy' written on the envelope in handwriting that was distinctly May's. The card itself was very simple and to the point. Not very surprising. The front of the card was pretty, but not overly ostentatious. While the inside was nice and somewhat sweet. But what Daisy wasn't expecting was the word 'love' at the bottom with May's singular signature following it. She felt her chest constrict from both the simultaneous presence and absence of a salutation. She shouldn't have been surprised that Coulson's name wasn't there. She knew that he was gone. They had buried him for God's sake. But something about his name missing seemed so real and final. Coulson had always picked out the card for Daisy. He always had May sign it too, but she knew he was the one that chose it. He was also the one who had always written 'love' before signing. She didn't know what she had been expecting from May, but she was somehow still surprised that she had written the same sentiment on her own terms.

The sense of finality that he was really gone caused the bile to rise in her throat and for a wave of dread to wash over her. She tried to blink away the tears that formed in her eyes as she let out a shaky sigh.

"You okay?" May asked, placing a hand on Daisy's knee. Clearly May could see right through her. Daisy didn't want to look at her. If she looked May in the eyes she knew she'd break down. So she decided to just stare at the comforter instead.

"Daisy," May began, suddenly concerned.

"Yeah. I just. I—I really miss him." Her voice cracked on the last word, the sorrow finally setting in. She let out a muffled sob as May's arms suddenly wrapped around her. She held her with a firmness that she'd never experienced before. She must have known that Daisy really needed her.

"I know, I do too." But when she heard May's own voice cracking, she knew that wasn't the only reason: May needed her too. She didn't know how long they stayed like that. Just holding onto each other for dear life. It could have only been a few minutes or an entire hour, she couldn't truly tell. But by the time her sobs had slowed down, her throat felt raw and her chest seemed empty.

"I'm sorry," May finally said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"What on earth would you have to be sorry about?"

"I'm sorry that you feel like this on your birthday."

"And how's that your fault?"

"I don't know. I guess it's not. I just—it's hard. It doesn't make things any easier." Daisy nodded in agreement.

"He'd be devastated, you know," May started, quietly, "If he knew how you were feeling today."

"I know. But both he and Fitz," she stopped for a minute, trying to hold back even more tears, "It's too much." May let out a heavy sigh.

"Yeah. But let's try to make the most of it."

"I don't know, May. Celebrating without him just seems wrong."

"Yes, but he would want you to." She paused for a minute, deep in thought.

"Hold on a second," May said, getting up from the bed walking towards the door, "I'll be right back." When she returned, she was carrying a small gift bag.

"I almost forgot. When we were in Tahiti, Coulson remembered that he got you something for your birthday a long time ago. He wanted to make sure that you got it. I have no idea what it is."

"May, I don't know…" just the thought of opening a gift he had bought for her before he died made her want to start balling again. It was the same reason she couldn't bring herself to read the letter he'd left for her. She felt May reach out and grab her hand.

"If it's easier, I can open it for you," May offered, rubbing circles on hand with her thumb. Daisy nodded, squeezing May's hand in response. She didn't have the strength to watch May as she removed the tissue paper from the bag. But when May laughed, she couldn't help herself from looking. It was a simple picture frame displaying multiple photos of Daisy, Coulson, and the whole team. She couldn't help but smirk at the picture that May was clearly laughing at: Fitz with the whipped cream smeared on his face.

"Wow. That feels like it happened forever ago," May said, stroking her finger across the glass as if it would somehow help preserve the memory.

"So much has changed since then," Daisy replied as she scooted closer to May in order to see the frame clearly.

"I really hope Simmons is right and that we can save him," Daisy sighed.

"Knowing the two of them, she'll find a way." They sat in silence for a moment, eyes focused on the photos and memories held in the frame.

"I think this might be my favorite," Daisy said, pointing to a picture of May, Coulson, and herself. It was taken back when they had first moved to the playground. Coulson had just become the director and May was beginning to train her. That night Coulson had come back from a long mission and the three of them watched a movie together. The photo was simple, but there was also something that was extremely special about it. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that things seemed so normal, or that May was actually somewhat smiling, or it could have been the goofy grin Coulson had on his face. Or maybe it was because it was just the three of them together. They seemed like a family.

"You know, I get that Coulson was trying to give me some happy memories, but these pictures are really bumming me out," Daisy said with a laugh.

"Well I'm thinking he probably didn't know everything that was going to happen when he bought it," May replied with a snicker.

"Probably not. He sure liked to buy things in advance, didn't he?"

"Speaking of buying things, you still have a gift to open," May said, pointing to the box she'd given Daisy while raising an eyebrow. Daisy picked up the box and shook it lightly, pretending to try to guess what it was.

"Let me see… a pair of socks?!" she said with a laugh.

"Yes, dead on! How'd you know?" May joked back. When Daisy opened the box, she was surprised at how neatly the tissue paper was wrapped around the item. She smiled when she pulled out a brand new leather jacket. Before she could even fully appreciate it May said,

"I know you already have a bunch of them, but I—"

"May, I love it. Thank you." She reached out and wrapped her in a side hug, resting her head on May's shoulder. They just sat there for awhile, content in each other's company. After quite some time had passed, Daisy slowly picked up her card and said,

"You too, you know," sounding oddly timid.

"What?" May said, clearly confused by the change in subject. Without saying a word, Daisy simply opened the card and pointed to the word 'love'. She didn't need to say any more. May knew. It was somehow easier for both of them to never say the words out loud. But it didn't really matter. The sentiment was the same either way. May replied by hugging the girl tighter and planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Happy Birthday, Daisy." As they sat there in the comfort of each other's presence, Daisy realized that it might just be a happy birthday after all.


End file.
